


"Just you,"

by ThatOneSmolFangirl



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: BAMF Merlin (Merlin), Camelot, Caring, Hurt Merlin (Merlin), Love, Merlin is a Little Shit, Merthur - Freeform, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Arthur, Oblivious Merlin (Merlin), Parent Gaius (Merlin), Pining Arthur, Pining Merlin (Merlin), Prince Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Protective Arthur, Protective Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Protective Gaius (Merlin), Whump, gaius is just so done, merthur soft, soft merthur
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-02-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:22:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22793932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatOneSmolFangirl/pseuds/ThatOneSmolFangirl
Summary: "Your place is by my side, and mine is by yours. That’s just the way it’s meant to be,”______aka the time merlin got beat up and arthur almost lost his shit
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), but not if you don't want it, i just mean no explicit romance
Comments: 47
Kudos: 1568





	"Just you,"

Arms crossed over his chest, Merlin continued to stare out of Arthur’s window, watching carefully as the visiting royalty rode their horses into the courtyard. They were dressed in expensive clothes and had loaded their steeds with so luggage that they were physically having trouble walking. Poor things. Turning to Arthur, Merlin leaned against the bed-frame with a doubtful expression, “They look like fun,” 

Arthur was changing out of his bedclothes, ignoring the divider behind him. It’d been years since he’d bothered to hide himself. They’d been through so much together that at this point, it would have simply been pointless. He pulled his shirt over his head, “They’re guests of Camelot. No matter their reputation for being-,” 

Merlin proceeded to rattle off a list of words that would’ve made any other royal faint on the spot. 

But used to Merlin’s vocabulary, Arthur just continued, “I was actually going to say an acquired taste. You should know about that better than anyone,” Merlin looked pointedly at Arthur, “I certainly do,”

Waving the jab off, Arthur pressed on, “Besides, we must treat them with as much respect as we can muster. My father is attempting to establish a trade deal with them and we simply can’t get in the way of that. This is hugely important,"

Keeping himself from rolling his eyes, Merlin reached over to grab Arthur’s shirt, tossing it towards him and leaning back again. Arthur reached up, pulling it over his head and gesturing out of the window, towards the royals riding in.

“Do me a favor Merlin, go down there and greet them for me. Let them know I should just be a few minutes longer,” Merlin made to protest, but Arthur just waved him out, “It’ll be fine, I promise I’ll be right there,”

Reluctantly, Merlin nodded. Leaving the rest of Arthur’s clothes on his bed, he walked slowly out of the room. On his way down, he adjusted himself in order to look more submissive. Lowering his gaze and keeping his arms close to his side, he continued down the stairs. 

Spotting the princes, he walked quickly over as they began to dismount their horses. Bowing low, he kept his eyes to the ground, “Good afternoon sires. Prince Arthur will be arriving in just a moment and wishes to apologize profusely for his lateness. It’s a true pleasure to have you in Camelot and we truly hope you enjoy your time spend here,”

He let his eyes glance up to take in the two men in front of him. They were brothers from a far kingdom, known especially for their manners. Or more accurately, their lack thereof. Every kingdom they visited had urged others to stay away. Uther clearly didn’t believe the warnings.

The king was hoping to establish a trade deal with them, in order to improve both kingdoms’ economies. Arthur was right in saying it was important.

The eldest was Brinley and his younger brother was Sedgewick. The second Merlin caught their gaze, he knew the interaction wasn’t off to a great start. They were both somehow managing to look down on him, even though they were about his height. 

Brinley looked Merlin up and down, “I presume you’re his servant?” Merlin nodded quickly, clasping his hands behind his back, “Yes, that’s me,” Raising his eyebrows, the eldest paused, “Yes, your majesty. And as his servant, I would’ve thought it your job to get him ready in time?” Shifting nervously in place, Merlin spoke clearly, “Typically yes, that would be one of my duties. But today I was instructed to leave early, in order to greet you and make sure you were given a warm welcome to Camelot,”

Sedgewick looked towards his brother and back to Merlin, clearly unhappy with the response, “So far we’ve been nothing but freezing, hardly a warm welcome if you ask me,” Merlin nodded submissively. He knew they weren’t cold. It was already a warm day, not to mention they were wearing coats that cost enough to feed the whole of Ealdor for months.

Brinley let out a laugh at his brother’s joke, and Merlin just kept his eyes down in hopes that this wouldn’t last much longer. 

Nodding to their tremendous amount of luggage, Sedgewick snapped loudly in front of Merlin’s face to get his attention, “I do hope you're competent enough to bring our bags up to our rooms?” Merlin gritted his teeth, keeping the obedient expression on his face, “My apologies but I’m actually Prince Arthur’s personal servant which means I typically only attend to him. However, I can certainly have someone down in just a few moments to help with your bags,” 

Cocking his head, Brinley stepped forward slightly, “Are you talking back to us?” Freezing in place, Merlin backtracked quickly, “No I just-,” Cutting Merlin off, Brinley continued, “We are your superiors. You will treat us with respect lest we feel the need to teach you some manners,” 

Merlin nodded quickly, knowing his best bet was to yield to their wishes as quick as possible, “Yes of course sire, I apologize,” 

Taking a breath, he turned to the horses. He knew these kind of people, knew the kind of power they craved. This wasn’t his fault. He repeated it again in his head. This was not his fault. He couldn’t let himself believe he deserved this.

So he just reached for the luggage, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible. As he tried to undo the ties with his shaking hands, he heard talking behind him. He guessed it was Sedgewick.

“Have you considered a career as a fool? You’re already quite idiotic enough,” 

Focusing on the ties, Merlin didn’t turn around, just trying to distract himself as he heard movement from behind him. Hopefully if he managed to tune them out for just a few more minutes, they’d get bored.

Wrong.

“Servant! Are you ignoring us?”

Turning quickly on his heel, Merlin faced them again. He made to bow, uttering a quick apology before standing up again, his hands clasped behind his back. 

Before he even finished his apology, he knew something wasn’t right. Maybe it was the way Brinley was standing, or the self-satisfied look on Sedgewick’s face. But something about all of it made Merlin’s hair stand up on end.

Which meant he wasn’t exactly surprised when Brinley pulled his hand back and brought it down as hard as he could, slapping Merlin across the face.

And even though he had known it was coming, it certainly didn’t help to dull the pain. 

Merlin stumbled back to keep himself from falling, a faint ringing in his ears reminding him that he was still in danger. Even though he’d predicted it before the hit actually happened, the shock still persisted. 

Which is when he realized there was no right answer. They didn’t want him to do the right thing, they wanted him to be wrong. So they could do this. They wanted this.

Forcing himself upright, Merlin tried to keep his expression neutral as the pain started to dull. He could feel the bruise already forming on the side of his face. Still reeling slightly, Merlin re-clasped his hands to stop himself rom reaching up to touch his face. 

He looked up to find Brinley sporting a pitiful frown, “Now look what you made me do. Good servants don’t get themselves hit,” He leaned down slightly, so he was at Merlin’s eye level, “I need you to understand how hard that was for me. I didn’t want to do that, but I think it was good for both for us,”

Merlin felt his eyes watering slightly. Partly because of the pain, but mostly the knowledge that he was trapped. He couldn’t fight back unless he wanted to end up jailed or more likely, executed.

Bringing himself back to the moment, Merlin just caught the end of Brinley’s sentence, “That’s not what either of us want, now is it?” Merlin shook his head, staring at the ground to avoid having to make eye contact.

Almost gently, Brinley placed his hand under Merlin’s chin, tilting his head up until they were forced to make eye contact, “Don’t look away from me boy,” Merlin didn’t say a word, just nodded imperceptibly.

As he tried to keep eye contact, Merlin could feel his chest tightening and his breath beginning to speed up. God he didn’t want this person near him, let alone touching him like this. Biting his tongue, Merlin tried desperately to distance himself, to imagine he was anywhere else. But he could feel the hand under his chin and the eyes looking at him like he was nothing more than a toy. A mouse in a cat’s paws. All he wanted was for this man to let go.

Get away. Let go. Step back. **Screw off.**

As if the prince had heard his insults, Brinley shifted his hands to Merlin’s shoulders and shoved him down harshly. Merlin felt his knees hit the cobblestone, and tried his best to stifle a yelp of pain, hoping that if he didn’t react, they’d let it go. These kind of people usually did.

Closing his eyes tightly in a desperate attempt to dull the sharp pain radiating from his knees, Merlin tried to steady himself by putting a hand on the ground in front of him.

Almost immediately, one of the princes kicked roughly as his wrist, forcing him to lift it again. Merlin could feel his breath getting heavier as he started to panic. This wasn’t what was supposed to happen. They were supposed to get bored. This shouldn’t be happening.

Forcing himself not to scramble up as Brinley removed his hands, Merlin just looked up towards the two of them as calmly as he could. He immediately felt his face flush with shame as he realized he was quite literally kneeling at their feet. It only took a moment for them to realize the same thing. Smiles appeared on both of their face as they looked down towards him. Sedgewick crossed his arms, “I almost feel bad for you down there,”

Merlin dug his nails into his palm, knowing that he couldn’t use magic in the middle of this many people. Not to mention it would be practically impossible to explain why he would’ve needed to attack them in the first place. They were royalty, which meant their word would always mean more than his.

So Merlin just let his gaze drift slowly to the ground, clenching his fists to distract from the pain in his knees and hoping this would all be over soon.

Sensing movement in front of him, Merlin flinched violently, suddenly realizing he wasn’t moving fast enough. Sure enough, he watched as Brinley’s foot connected with his chest, kicking him roughly. Falling backwards onto the stone, Merlin let out a whine of pain as he hit the ground again. Trying to take a breath, he began to cough violently as he realized he couldn’t inhale. Scrambling off his back, he returned to his knees, trying desperately to catch his breath. 

He felt his fingers tingle as his magic rose to the surface. He couldn’t help but think of how easy it would be to stop all of this. But knowing how much worse it would be for him in the long run, Merlin forced the temptation down, burying it as far down as he could. Putting a hand on the ground, he pushed himself upright. Standing up slowly, he blinked quickly, trying to keep his balance.

Merlin looked around quickly, trying desperately to make eye contact with someone that could help. A substantial crowd of people had gathered around the trio, watching everything happen as they kept a safe distance. They looked concerned, but not enough to step forward and help. Merlin couldn’t bring himself to blame them. He knew that stepping in would mean risking their life, and their family’s safety for someone they didn’t even know. 

Tilting his head, Merlin was able to catch scattered phrases from the group, seemingly all about him. 

“What are we meant to do—can’t exactly step in—he’s going to get himself killed—prince Arthur’s servant, is he not?—should we get him?”

Before he could try to make out more of the conversation, Brinley stepped closer to him. Flinching on instinct, Merlin berated himself, knowing that would only encourage them. Brinley leaned closer, “You need to respect your betters and learn to stay down. You’re nothing more than a servant and a stupid boy who needs someone to teach him his place. You’re lucky I’m a patient person,”

The pain in his side stopped Merlin from being able to focus on anything besides not wincing. But as both of the brothers stepped forward again, Merlin shrunk back in hopes he could avoid another attack. 

They shouldn’t scare him, he knew that. He was more powerful than they could even imagine, and he could take care of them in the blink of an eye if he wanted too. But all the same, he found himself closing his eyes in preparation as Sedgewick pulled his hand back and clenched it into a fist. 

It was worse this time, hitting the same side of his face as the first one. He couldn’t stop himself from stumbling back, reeling from the punch but refusing to go down.

The prince’s sneer faded and his eyes hardened as he watched Merlin try to keep steady, “Kneel, you insolent boy,” 

Merlin shook his head, blinking quickly to keep his eyes from watering, “I truly apologize sire, but I don’t think-,” Before he could finish his sentence, another punch came at his face. Jolting away, Merlin tried to avoid the attack as best he could. It still managed to catch him on the jaw and as the burst of pain brought new tears to Merlin’s eyes, he felt his resolve begin to crumble. He couldn’t keep this up forever, not if he wanted to wake up tomorrow.

It wasn’t like Merlin hadn’t been in pain before. He’d suffered through more pain in the last couple years than most people have in their entire lives. But knowing you could stop someone with a wave of your hands, and being forced to take every punch that came your way was another kind of pain entirely.

Reaching up to touch his face gingerly, Merlin winced. Turning to face the princes once again, Merlin prepared for another blow. He might not be able to keep this up forever, but he could keep it up a little longer. And that was enough.

Right as he met Brinley’s eyes, they both looked away, becoming distracted as the crowd grew louder, murmuring amongst themselves. Merlin turned to see the group shifting apart in order to allow someone through.

“What the hell is going on?”

Merlin knew that voice anywhere.

Sure enough, Arthur broke through the crowd, striding quickly towards the two princes as well as Merlin. Brinley and Sedgewick just stood there with bloodied fists and innocent smiles on their faces. Arthur slowed to a stop in front of them, arms at his side. His gaze shifted to Merlin’s face, and back to the princes. 

Something in Arthur’s head seemed to click as he realized exactly what was happening. Merlin couldn’t quite place it, but something about the whole interaction shifted as realization dawned on Arthur’s face. The other princes didn’t seem to notice anything, not knowing Arthur well enough to notice the way his jaw was clenched.

Turning to face him, they nodded respectfully, “You must be Uther’s boy,” Sedgewick gestured to Merlin, “Fret not about this whole situation. Your servant was being incompetent, and we’re simply taking the liberty of reminding him of his place. At the feet of his betters,” Merlin barely heard their words, still ready to attempt dodging another punch. 

He knew Arthur wouldn’t be able to do anything to help, he’d risk ruining the trade deal his father had worked so hard to establish. Looking to the side, Merlin met Arthur’s eyes and nodded imperceptibly to let him know it was okay. He could leave.

Arthur hadn’t said anything since he’d gotten there, and the brothers seemed to take that as permission to return their attention to Merlin. They ignored Arthur to face Merlin once again. And as Brinley raised his hand, Merlin flinched preemptively, knowing what was coming.

Before Brinley could bring his hand down, Merlin caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye. Arthur had moved suddenly, stepping directly between Merlin and the princes. He had one hand resting above his sword, and another outstretched to keep Merlin behind him. Motioning for Merlin to stay where he was, Arthur turned his attention to the pair in front of him.

“As the crown prince of Camelot and heir to the throne, I strongly suggest you take a moment to reconsider your actions regarding my servant. That kind of behavior will absolutely not stand in this kingdom, not while I’m here,” Merlin could see his hand shift closer to his sword, ready to grab it if he needed.

The brothers seemed caught off guard, moving their gaze to Arthur. It was silent for a moment before Sedgewick spoke harshly, “Why are you protecting him? He’s simply a stupid boy who refused to kneel for his betters. Practically an animal if you ask me,” Before Arthur could react, Sedgewick had leaned forward, spitting on the ground in front of Merlin. As he stood up straight, he smiled proudly towards Arthur, “Done. He’s all yours,”

The words had barely left his mouth before Arthur was lunging at him. Merlin watched as Arthur clenched his hand into a fist and punched as hard as he could, shoving Sedgewick away after making contact. 

Sedgwick let out a yelp of pain as he stumbled backwards, Brinley gasping dramatically in response and running to his aid. The two of them looked back at Arthur, who was trying to steady his breath after the rash decision.

Waiting for a moment, Arthur took another breath, “You two are not better than him, you never will be,” He made to turn away, but seemed to think of something else, and faced them again, “And if anyone is an animal here, it’s you two,”

It fell deadly silent as Sedgewick and Arthur locked eyes, knowing to look away first was to yield the argument. Merlin could practically feel Arthur holding his breath, praying the conflict would end here, lest he be forced to duel his father’s guests. 

Interestingly enough, Merlin didn’t think he was bluffing about the threat of a fight. Arthur’s hand was still resting on his sword, and his other arm was outstretched to keep Merlin away from the brothers. As if sensing Arthur’s agitation, Merlin’s heart pounded with the magic in his veins, ready to do what needed to be done if he needed to.

Luckily, Sedgewick yielded first. His eyes fell to the ground and everyone let out a breath of relief. Merlin could feel the adrenaline fading slightly as the pain in his chest and face became more noticeable. He started to step forward but was stopped by Arthur’s arm keeping him behind, clearly not convinced everything was over.

Reluctantly, Merlin listened, remaining behind Arthur. Arthur cleared his throat, hand drifting away from his sword, “I’ll send someone down in a moment to show you to your rooms, but if I hear anything other than glowing praise about their treatment, I will not hesitate to throw you in the dungeons myself,”

The two of them barely responded, just mumbling under their breath. Arthur’s voice hardened again, “Understood?” Brinley spat out a reluctant, “Understood,” 

Arthur seemed like he was going to say more, but Merlin nudged him gently, and his mouth fell shut. Merlin knew there was no use making this worse. Turning on his heel, Arthur grabbed Merlin’s shoulder to guide him away. They started to walk away, moving quicker than they would’ve liked too.

Both could feel the judging stares of the brothers following them as they walked. As they made their way to the crowd, Arthur wave his hand quickly to make the crowd part, clearing a path for the two of them.

The pain in Merlin’s chest continued to get worse as the adrenaline wore off, and he couldn’t stop himself from wincing slightly almost every time he took a step. Arthur didn’t say anything in response, but his fingernails dug slightly into Merlin’s shoulders, like he was afraid he’d lose Merlin as they walked. Merlin bit his lip, trying to distract himself from the bruises sure to be forming most places on his body. 

Slowing down as they got away from the crowd, Arthur spoke, his voice quiet, “Gaius?” Merlin groaned preemptively at how Gaius would react, but nodded in agreement, “Yeah I suppose,” They sped up again, and Merlin winced. This time, Arthur slowed down slightly, moving his hand down to Merlin’s back in order to give him more support, eyes still fixed somewhere ahead of him. 

Merlin attempted to walk up a few of the stairs, stumbling out a quick apology at having to slow down again. Slowing down again, Arthur sounded concerned, “What’s wrong?” Merlin waved his hand dismissively, “I may or may not have gotten kicked in the chest by the eldest one,” 

Arthur stopped to let him catch his breath, clearly unaware anything had hurt him that badly, hand still on his back, “Well I’m certainly not carrying you since last time I checked, you weren’t a damsel in distress,” His voice softened slightly, “But you’re injured Merlin, and it’s gonna be much worse for both of us if you try to force yourself to do this alone,” Arthur shifted closer, putting his arm around Merlin’s waist and bearing more of his weight. Merlin nodded appreciatively, “It’s a good thing I’m not a princess, you’d make a shit Prince Charming,” Arthur let out a short laugh as they continued to climb the stairs, but it didn’t last long.

Approaching Gaius’ door, Merlin leaned forward in order to knock before returned to leaning against Arthur. Gaius opened the door, the annoyed look fading from his face as he saw Merlin’s bloodied face. He froze for a moment, not moving away from the doorway. Arthur cleared his throat, “May we-,” 

Gaius nodded quickly, snapping out of his daze and moving aside to let them in. He closed the door behind them, concern etched on his face. Arthur guided Merlin toward a table, sitting him down and standing back up. Gaius looked between the two of them, and threw his hands up in the air, “I don’t suppose someone wants to fill me in?” Merlin looked up at him, “I may have gotten slapped,” Arthur looked incredulously towards him and turned back to Gaius, “ As well as punched, kicked, and spit at. It’s a true wonder he’s not complaining more,” Merlin glanced towards him, “It’s not that bad,” 

Leaning down, Arthur tapped Merlin on the cheek, causing him to recoil in pain, “OW!” He pouted, staring at the prince, “What’d you do that for?” Arthur shrugged, “Proving a point. Stop pretending you aren’t hurt, it’s even more idiotic than usual,” 

After flashing him a quick glare, Merlin turned back to Gaius, “Maybe it’s a little bad,” Gaius and Arthur exchanged a glance before Gaius walked over, tilting Merlin’s head up towards him to get a better look, “Would you care to explain how exactly this happened?” 

Seeming to relax now that they were with Gaius, Arthur leaned against the wall, arms crossed, “I only arrived in time to end it. But from what I understand, Camelot’s newest visitors are a couple of arrogant pricks,” 

Merlin felt Gaius grip shift slightly, sensing a change in his voice, “Is there a reason you weren’t aware this was going on or were you simply preoccupied with more important things than Merlin’s safety?” Shifting nervously on the bench, Merlin gestured to Arthur, “This wasn’t his fault Gaius, I promi-,” 

Arthur cut him off, avoiding both of their gazes as he took a breath, “No. Gaius is right Merlin. I was aware of their reputation and I should’ve never sent you down there without me. It was stupid and irresponsible,”

It fell silent for a moment before Merlin tapped the table to get his attention, “Did you want to finish your explanation?”

Gaius’ grip loosened, seeming to let the matter go for the time being. Arthur snapped back to himself, clearing his throat, “Er-yes,” His expression hardened again, “They seemed to think Merlin was below them, and clearly had no hesitation about showing how they felt. It was as if they expected Merlin to bow down and take whatever abuse they forced on him. Like he was less than them somehow. If anyone were to treat me like that, I would’ve certainly punched them earlier in the conversation,”

Moving his head to allow Gaius to look at his jaw, Merlin rolled his eyes, “I don’t exactly have that option, now do I? If I had punched one of those princes, I’d have been executed by morning. Servants can’t fight back,” Without missing a beat, Arthur shook his head incredulously, “You’re not a servan-,” 

He stopped dead, words caught in his throat. Falling silent, confusion flashed across his face as he tried to figure out what had just happened. 

Merlin turned to face him, grinning stupidly, “What? You forget?” 

Arthur made no move to respond and just stared determinedly at the ground instead. Merlin’s chest tightened as he realized what had happened. Arthur really had forgotten. The grin on his face faded to a genuine smile.

He knew they hadn’t been servant and prince for a long time, not properly at least. It’d been Arthur and Merlin instead. But sometimes it was still nice to hear it.

Almost in an attempt to save Arthur from having to come up with a response, Gaius spoke again, “So it’s just your face then?” Merlin made to nod but Arthur cut him off, “Don’t be stupid Merlin,” Turning to Gaius, he gestured to Merlin, “He also got kicked pretty hard in the chest by the eldest one,” 

Gaius’ face fell slightly, forcing Merlin to look away guiltily. He knew how much it pained Gaius to see him getting hurt. Arthur took notice of the shift in tone, “This one really wasn’t his fault Gaius. There was nothing he could’ve done and I promise I won’t let it happen again,” Nodding slowly, Gaius looked towards Arthur, “Thank you for taking care of my boy,” Arthur just nodded solemnly in response, “I know he would do the same for me,”

It grew silent for a moment before Merlin coughed pointedly, “I’m still here, in case you guys forgot. No need to get all sappy just for me,” Arthur raised his hand to swat lightly at him but noticed his bruises and let his hand fall back to his side, settling on a glare, “Don’t call me sappy Merlin, I’m never sappy,” 

Before Merlin could respond, Gaius cut in, talking to Merlin, “I’m going to work on a balm for your face and something to check the state of your chest. Try not to move too much, okay?” Merlin nodded in agreement as Gaius stepped away to rustle through his bottles of herbs. 

Turning to face Arthur, Merlin smiled gently, “I really did appreciate the help,” Arthur rolled his eyes, “Maybe avoid getting into fights when I’m not there to save your hide,” As Merlin glanced away, Arthur backtracked quickly, “As much as it may pain me to admit, this one really wasn’t your fault. I was serious about that. You did everything right. And if this ever happens again, feel free to punch back the second they start acting like that,” 

Shaking his head dismissively, Merlin looked back at him, “I’d be executed by morning if I were to punch anyone above my station,” Arthur just waved vaguely, “I wouldn’t let that happen,”

Merlin felt a smile tugging at his face as Arthur continued, “Besides, I’m never letting you greet anyone without me again. Can’t afford you getting in any more fights,”

Grinning, Merlin tapped at the bench, waiting. Arthur reluctantly walked over, sitting on the other side of the table and interlacing his hands. Merlin shifted around, until his legs were under the table and he was facing Arthur again. 

It was silent for a moment, the only noise being the clink of medicine bottles and the general murmur of the people outside the door.

Arthur seemed to work up the courage to ask a question, looking down at his folded hands on the table, “Has this kind of thing happened before? You and Gaius seemed a little too familiar with it,” Merlin didn’t respond, which resulted in Arthur kicking his leg from under the table. He yelped in surprise, making Gaius turn and wave his finger warningly, “No fighting,” Arthur nodded, “My bad,”

Turning back to Merlin, Arthur raised his eyebrows and waited for a response. Gesturing for him to speak, Arthur bit his tongue.

Reluctantly, Merlin nodded, “It’s never been this bad before. They usually get bored after the first couple hits,” Arthur clenched his jaw, “So the time you came in with a bruise on your shoulder?” Merlin nodded. Continuing, Arthur lowered his voice, “The cut on your face that you said was an accident in the armory? When you winced after I grabbed your arm?” 

Merlin nodded as Arthur continued to list off incidents over the course of the last couple years. Apparently, Merlin was a pretty convincing liar. As the list faded off, Arthur looked to Merlin and back down at his clasped hands, “You need to tell me if anything like this ever happens again,” 

Looking up in surprise, Merlin glanced towards him, “What? Why?” Arthur shrugged, “I’m the prince Merlin, I can make sure they never set foot in Camelot again. And if I’m unable to accompany you to meet future guests, I’ll send a knight to defend you if the need arises,”

Readjusting his hands, Arthur’s voice softened, “No one is allowed to speak to you like that. Like you aren’t worth anything. You’re a good man Merlin, and people like them don’t have any right to take that away from you,” It fell silent once again until Arthur unfolded his hands quickly, looking up with a smile, “Besides, if anyone gets to call you an idiot, it’s going to be me,”

As his expression shifted into a grin, Merlin kicked his leg lightly under the table, “And you said you weren’t a sap,” Arthur rolled his eyes and gave him a familiar half smile, “Shut up Merlin,”

They were interrupted by Gaius walking over to rejoin them. He set a bottle on the table, tilting Merlin’s head up again to take a second look, “That bottle should help with the pain and bruising. Considering the circumstances, you got off pretty easy. If this went on any longer you may have ended up with a broken nose,” Eyes widening, Merlin waved his hands vaguely, “Easy? I think the footprint in my chest would beg to disagree,” 

Gaius pursed his lips, “A surprisingly valid point. We certainly need to make sure you didn’t end up with any broken ribs,” He turned to Arthur, “Sire, would you mind holding Merlin’s shirt up so I can check to make sure he isn’t seriously injured,” 

Almost immediately, Arthur scrambled up from the bench, standing slightly away from the table, “I don’t know if that’s the best idea. I’m not really a physician and I wouldn’t want to mess anything up-,” Gaius waved him off, “I’m not asking you to perform surgery, just to hold his shirt up for about thirty seconds. Do you think you can handle that sire?”

Merlin turned to face him, “Sire I’ve seen you shirtless hundreds of times, I think you can see me shirtless just this once,” Walking slowly, Arthur reluctantly made his way to Merlin’s side. Reaching down, he paused right above Merlin’s shirt, looking back up at him with an expression that Merlin couldn’t quite place.

Realizing this clearly was new territory for Arthur, Merlin just nodded reassuringly. Almost gently, Arthur grabbed the end of his shirt, lifting it up and keeping his gaze fixed on the ground.

Gaius began to poke and prod gently at his chest, asking him questions about where and how badly it hurt, as well as checking the bruises. Arthur just stared at the ground, moving his hand so he wasn’t touching Merlin’s skin.

Satisfied, Gaius eventually stood up, “Not broken, but definitely a few bruised ribs. As long as you avoid moving too much, they should be mostly healed within a few weeks,” Arthur dropped the shirt, stepping away quickly. Merlin just nodded appreciatively as Gaius stepped away to get more bandages.

Arthur sat down slowly, this time settling on the same bench as Merlin. Neither moved until Merlin reached up to readjust his shirt. Running a hand through his hair, he turned to Arthur, deciding not to mention what had just happened, “What do you suggest we tell your father about the princes?” Arthur shrugged again, “I’m sure you can figure something out,” 

Smiling incredulously, Merlin cocked his head, “Me? I’m not the one who punched one of ‘em!” Looking over with a slight smile, Arthur continued, “What am I supposed to say? I can’t tell my father I was the one who punched him,”

Leaning to the side, Merlin shoved him gently, “Tell him you had been drinking at the tavern, it works for me?” Arthur’s mouth fell open, “What business would I have punching people whilst drunk?” Merlin shrugged, “You tell me,”

Arthur let out a small laugh, which made the silence that followed it all the more suffocating. It wasn’t that they had nothing to say, because quite honestly, they were overflowing with things they wanted to say. 

No, the issue was that everything they wanted to say would change things. And right then, they were happy with things the way that they were.

So instead of saying what he really wanted to say, Merlin just asked what he wanted to know, “Why did you really step in? I know it wasn’t because they were just being prats in your kingdom. It was about me,” 

Letting his gaze drift slowly to Merlin’s face, Arthur took a resigned breath, speaking gently, “Your place is not kneeling on the ground for men like that. Your place is by my side, and mine is by yours. That’s just the way it’s meant to be,”

The silence this time around wasn’t suffocating and empty, like the first one. It was filled with everything they’d ever wanted to say, and everything they’d ever felt like doing. But none of it could work up the strength to cross that line into reality, so it just remained there. Not quite known, but certainly not invisible.

Before he could be tempted to bring any of it into reality, Merlin did his best to shove it back down, knowing neither of them was really ready for that level of change. Instead, he just looked towards the ground with a small smile on his face, and back up to Arthur’s eyes, “Sap,”

Watching Arthur’s face carefully, Merlin caught a flash of something in his eyes. He’d seen it on Arthur’s face plenty of times before but had never been able to place what it was. ~~Love.~~

It only lasted a second before Arthur was letting out a small laugh, “Oh shut up Merlin,”

“This means I can have tomorrow off, right?”

“Maybe. Depends how I feel,”

“So yes?”

“Yeah,”

Merlin made to readjust his position, wincing slightly at the movement. Arthur stood slowly, “I should go soon anyway. I need to find someway to explain this to my father,” Merlin looked up to meet his eyes, “Thanks again,” Nodding slowly, Arthur mumbled a response before turning to Gaius and giving him a small wave.

Walking out, Arthur pulled the door closed behind him, turning to give them a quick smile before he left.

As Merlin shifted back towards Gaius, he was greeted with a raised eyebrow and an accusatory gaze. Merlin groaned, “What now?”

Gaius shook his head incredulously, “I’ve served the prince for many many years. Much longer than I’ve even known you. But in the course of his whole life, he’s never acted this way with anyone else. Just you.”

Waving him off, Merlin just stood and allowed Gaius to wrap the bandages around his chest. Biting his lip to keep from wincing, he couldn’t help but let his thoughts drift back to the two words Gaius had ended his statement with. Just you.

_Just you._

**Author's Note:**

> hi!!!! i think this is one of the longest things i've posted so i hope you guys enjoy <333 if you like it pls leave a comment it means the world to me and i love talking to y'all!!!


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